Qui Nguyen stays focused, gains seat as final table fills out

Qui Nguyen entered three satellite tournaments before finally winning his seat to the World Series of Poker’s Main Event.

Some members of his family thought he should sell the entry and walk away with the $10,000, but Nguyen was determined to play in the tournament for the first time.

“I lost more than that in baccarat,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen is the only Las Vegas resident to reach the final table of the $10,000 buy-in No-limit Texas Hold ’em World Championship, as the 39-year-old professional poker player used a rush of cards late Monday to climb the chip counts.

Nguyen, a native of Vietnam, was in second place with almost 68 million chips when action at the Rio Convention Center paused shortly before midnight with the elimination of Joshua Weiss in 10th place. Professional poker player Cliff Josephy of Muttontown, New York, is the chip leader (74.6 million).

The Main Event, which drew 6,737 entrants, resumes Oct. 30 when the final nine players return at the Rio’s Penn & Teller Theater to compete for the $8 million first prize. All the remaining players are guaranteed to collect $1 million.

“The first day, I just tried to get in the money,” Nguyen said. “No way did I think I’d go to the final table. No way I’d say that. I talked to my wife, she said, ‘Step by step.’ From 27 (players) to 18, I’m happy already. I tried the best I can.”

Nguyen has been a winning cash-game player since moving to Las Vegas from Florida more than 10 years ago, first at Bellagio and currently at Aria.

But he’s had limited tournament success, and his only previous cash in a WSOP event ($9,029) wouldn’t even cover the cost of the Main Event buy-in.

“The home games in Florida, I was a little bit (better) than them,” Nguyen said. “But when I come here, I was not that good.”

Nguyen entered the final day of play in 25th place with 27 players remaining, and he was nearly eliminated with 21 players left only to enjoy a massive heater following the dinner break.

Nguyen took out high-stakes pro Tom Marchese (14th place), Australian James Obst (13th) and Mike Shin of Milwaukee (12th), all in a seven-hand stretch, to snag the chip lead at that point in the tournament.

“Actually, today I run hot,” Nguyen said late Monday.

Nguyen was easily identified throughout the Main Event in his “Guardians of the Galaxy” Rocket Raccoon baseball cap. He figures to blend in more at a final table that includes two of online poker’s biggest all-time winners and three other pros with more than $1 million in career live tournament earnings.

Josephy, 50, is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner and was one of the original online poker crushers playing under the screen name “JohnnyBax.” Josephy also was one of the best-known financial backers in poker and was part of the duo that staked Joe Cada when he won the Main Event in 2009.

“This is the greatest. This is my own accomplishment. This was the dream,” Josephy said. “The dream isn’t to have a piece of somebody at the final table or to win it. But the dream is to win it myself.”

Gordon Vayo of San Francisco charged up the chip counts after having only 16 big blinds at the dinner break and is third, while fellow poker pro Kenny Hallaert is fourth. Hallaert is only the second Belgian to make the Main Event final table after Pierre Neuville last year.

The top four players have nearly 70 percent of the chips in play at the final table.

Canadian Griffin Benger, a professional poker player and former e-sports superstar, sits seventh in chips. He eliminated William Kassouf of England in 17th place in the most memorable hand of the entire tournament, as the two sparred verbally before getting all their chips in the middle for what turned out to be an aces-versus-kings confrontation.

Spain’s Fernando Pons, who won his seat to the Main Event through a €30 online qualifier, will be on the short stack when play picks up in October.

“I talked in my mind already, ‘If you win, you win. If you lose, you lose. So, nothing to be nervous,’ ” Nguyen said. “The next three months, I don’t play poker. I don’t gamble. Just hang out with family, hang out with friends before November.”

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ